Recollection of a Petal
by Facing Fear
Summary: Uzumaki Naruto always thought that he liked Haruno Sakura, until he passed through a certain meadow... a meadow of truth and guidance, where he will make a life changing decision. Who knows? Maybe a certain Hyuuga entered his mind... Naruto x Hinata


A/N: My second one-shot, please R and R (NO, not read and run)

_Inspiration_: Thinking of how cold it is during winter time, I started yearning for the spring season. During spring, everything grows back, trees, flowers, annoying weeds, and all the animals seem to be more _alive_. So thinking of flowers, I thought of pink cherry blossoms (also known as Sakura) and came up with a NaruHina story where Naruto realizes his false admiration of Sakura, with the help of "Sakura".

Yes, painful puns, worse form of comedy.

To those who are interested, the title was derived from a Game Boy Game called Fire Emblem (the version with Hector, Lyndis, and Eliwood), and it's the name of a tune. Gotta love that game.

Anyways, on with the story!

_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or it's characters..._

* * *

**Recollection of a Petal**

_By Facing Fear_

Today was the day that they were due to return to Konoha – after two and a half years of absence, it was great to be home. The journey was still long though, their destination would require another five hours of travel. That didn't faze Naruto and Jiraiya at all, it only strengthened their resolve to continue their travel and arrive as soon as possible. Home is where the heart is after all.

In this case, a pink-haired kunoichi for Naruto, and a large breasted Hokage for Jiraiya.

"Naruto," he asked, "what are you going to do first when we get back?"

"Easy Ero-sennin," this nickname caused a vein to bulge on Jiraiya's forehead, but decided not to care, nothing could anger him today, "first off is Ichiraku Ramen, then Tsunade-baachan, then I'm off to see Sakura-chan!"

The Toad Sage's eyebrows furrowed in annoyance, he was wondering why Naruto still liked the Haruno girl. It was obviously crush, the feelings are one-sided, and she only sees his student as an object of annoyance. _Plus, she's flat chested_; he added comically, _that's a big no-no!_

"What do you see in the girl?"

"Huh, what I see in Sakura-chan? EASY! She's pretty, she's really smart, she's – er… Yeah, she's those things!" Naruto replied enthusiastically.

Jiraiya shook his head, two reasons why he liked a girl? Pathetic was the word. As strong as his student was, he was still an idiot in the so-called 'ways of love'. The kid might be fifteen, but love must be found early. It was a rule that applied to all shinobi because of their way of life.

A shinobi risks their life on missions, meaning that death becomes part of the job… no… a part of _life_ itself. Love must be found now or never at all, it is a feeling that one must celebrate and experience, since death can come at anytime. And finally, it must be true, there's no point in pursuing love when there's no chance for it.

So Jiraiya decided to help Naruto in finding love, it was part of being his sensei after all. He thought of all the girls that could possibly take interest in his student, but found none…

Except for one.

The day they left Konoha, he remembered sensing a presence behind them. It was neither hostile nor aggressive – it was of admiration, respect, and… love? No… no, it wasn't yet the truly refined form, but it was blossoming though. As Jiraiya looked back, he saw a pale-eyed girl, and recognized her as one named Hyuuga Hinata, the heiress of the uptight clan.

He asked Naruto about her, "Oh, Hinata-chan? She's nice and a good person… She has this kick-ass jutsu that I don't think even the Rasengan can beat. And," He turned away blushing slightly, "she's kinda cuter than Sakura-chan."

The Sannin mentally chuckled, _He's found more good qualities in the Hyuuga girl than flat chest, this is going to be easy then…_

After a few more hours of walking in silence, the companions got tired and needed some rest. Naruto offered the idea but Jiraiya vetoed it, saying there was a better place to rest than the side of the road. He explained it as a 'special place' full of insight – Naruto thought it was a women's hot springs.

Little did he know that this place was far from what he thought it was…

* * *

A couple minutes was all it took to reach their destination, and Naruto was dumbstruck to see a beautiful and lush meadow. Jiraiya beckoned him to sit under the tree and unload his bag. He willingly obliged and sat under the shade, enjoying the cool, crisp spring air that blew every few intervals. The two of them sat peacefully there; entranced by the beauty that is the meadow.

There were also several flowers in abundance there, such as carnations, sunflowers, lilacs, and lavenders. There were also several oak, willow, and cherry blossom (Sakura) trees.

Naruto and Jiraiya sat there quietly, until the former broke the silence, "Sensei, I thought we were gonna go to a hot springs, but I'm glad we went here."

The older man stared at the boy and answered in an unusually caring voice, "Yeah, this is the place where I go to think."

"Think?"

"Yeah, it's calm, quiet, and beautiful…"

"So why'd you bring me here?" Naruto was curious at the older man's actions.

"'Coz I need to tell you something, kid."

"What is it?"

"Kid, with Akatsuki after you, that snake Orochimaru running amok, and the Kyuubi, your lifespan is… sorry to say – short."

Naruto felt a pang of anger, sadness, and gratefulness, "Don't worry Ero-sennin, you taught me everything I know, so I should be fine!"

Jiraiya gave a heavy sigh, "I know Naruto, but I want you to do one thing: find a girl. Don't be like me, close to my sixties and not even remotely close to settling down yet. Of course I want you to follow my footsteps as a Sannin, but don't live my life – make yours better."

Naruto stared at his mentor morosely, as much as the man lived openly and lively, it was nothing but a façade. Jiraiya regretted his actions, all he could wish for was to rectify his past mistakes and actions…

But no such ability exists.

"Thanks sensei, don't worry, I already found a girl!"

"Who?" _Please don't be the Haruno, please don't be the Haruno…_

"Sakura-chan! That's why I'm picking these up," Naruto said, showing him a handful of petals from the cherry blossom, "these are for her."

Jiraiya sighed again, _Completely dense… Alright, time to ante up the intervention!_

"Naruto, stop picking those up. I want you to listen to me. Do you remember what you said during our walk?"

"I think so…"

"Alright, from the things you've told me earlier, it looks like you… admire… Hinata more than Sakura."

"Huh?" Naruto didn't realize that, did he like Hinata more than Sakura? "I really dunno Ero-sennin, maybe you're right…"

_At least the kid's starting to realize_, "Anyway, to find out more, what do these girls do to you?"

"Whaddaya mean?"

"I mean, when you're being stupid and annoying," Jiraiya then gave his student a noogie which he painfully wrestled out of, "what do they do?"

"Hmm… let's see…" He contemplated...

* * *

_**(Flashback)**_

_Sakura was staring at Naruto with the utmost anger, He was waving his arms defensively in front of him, trying to show he was sorry. She folded her sleeves and cracked her knuckles._

"_Naruto…" she said menacingly._

"_S-S-Sakura-chan…"_

_**BAM!**_

--

_A large lump appeared on his forehead._

"_L-Look, Sakura-c-chan…" was all he could say before he was launched ten feet in to the air._

"_CHYA, I beat up Naruto!"_

_**BAM!**_

--

"_Owww…"_

"_Naruto-baka!"_

_**BAM!**_

--

"_Owwiee…"_

_**BAM!**_

--

_He crashed against the fence…_

_**BAM!**_

--

_Naruto was nursing his lumpy head…_

_**BAM!**_

--

_He fell unconscious in the middle of the street…_

_**(End Flashback)** _

* * *

A pair of fingers was snapping in front of him, "Naruto… Naruto! What happened? For a minute there you were shouting 'Don't hurt me!' what's wrong?"

"Oh, heh heh," The boy in question rubbed the back of his head bemusedly, "I remember now sensei, Sakura just smashed my head when I was being an idiot."

The older man stared at his student, the drop of the affectionate suffix did not go unnoticed, "How about Hinata?"

"Alright…"

* * *

_**(Flashback)**_

"_N-Naruto-kun…"_

_As he turned around, he saw Hinata holding out a small jar to him. Naruto frowned, wondering what it was._

"_It's healing ointment," Kurenai explained, "take it."_

_He gratefully did, letting his fingers touch hers as well, relishing the smoothness of it. Flashing a smile he quickly opened the bottle and applied it to several cuts._

"_Thanks Hinata, you're a good person!"_

_He then left to meet Kakashi and Sakura…_

--

"_Naruto-kun, please have some."_

_Hinata was offering him some food while sitting on a picnic quilt. He was on a mission with her and Kiba, something he was forced in to by Tsunade-baachan. Anger was pooling in him, since his teammates didn't seem to focus much on the mission. He grabbed a piece anyway, it looked horribly familiar._

"_Something wrong, Naruto-kun?"_

"_Nothing, nothing at all!" but he added silently, "Though it's kinda hard to eat myself."_

_The he took a bite… and immediately liked it. It wasn't ramen, but it sure was up there! Naruto took another bite, it tasted really GOOD!_

"_Wow! Hinata, this is great! You'd make a great wife someday!"_

_She merely blushed and nodded her thanks to the compliment..._

--

_Naruto was being his loud, annoying self. Everyone in the Konoha 11 (except a few) was getting frustrated and bothered by him._

_Hinata just smiled…_

--

_Hinata giggled at his antics…_

--

_She blushed but smiled at him nonetheless…_

--

_Her face was right beside his, touching, causing her to faint…_

_**(End Flashback)** _

* * *

"Oy! Naruto!" Jiraiya was snapping his fingers again, "You were blushing this time…"

Naruto gave a sheepish chuckle, "Yeah, I kinda remembered something…"

"About what?" The older man asked earnestly, his perverted nature coming back full force.

"Ero-sennin, I think we should go."

"Aren't you gonna tell me?"

"NO!" Naruto stood up, a handful of cherry blossom still clasped in his palm, "Go ahead Ero-sennin, I'll catch up."

The Sannin shrugged and made his way to the road, curious as to why his student still carried the Sakura petals. He looked back at the boy, disappointed that his talk was all for nothing. _I guess he's stubborn and wants flat chest_. He looked forlorn, _This is your decision Naruto, you're chasing the wrong girl_. Jiraiya was about to continue walking, until Naruto's next move caught his attention and stopped him on his tracks…

A fist was raised in the air…

He opened his palm…

And the pink petals of the blossoms flew away, carried by the wind. Momentarily it was swirling around him, like a pink version of Rasengan with Naruto in the center. It kept swirling until he opened his eyes – then, the petals fell.

In a way, it was symbolic. A portrait of the boy's admiration for the girl removed, once his eyes were opened to truth, to wisdom…

To love.

Naruto began walking to Jiraiya, seeing that the older man had a proud smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, he was curious. He reached the Sannin, and together they began their stroll towards the road back to Konoha. Jiraiya ruffled his student's hair – a sign of pride and achievement.

"Good job Naruto, I knew you had it in you…" _Actually I didn't, _he mused, _still, good job._

"Thanks sensei," he replied, "it's all thanks to your talk."

"Don't thank me kid, thank the meadow."

The two of them neared the edge of the meadow, until Naruto paused for a few seconds, before a flower caught his eye. He plucked it gently from the ground, staring at the perfect shape of it. Pocketing it tenderly, he continued walking; the flower seemed to remind him of some… a special person to be exact. Naruto pushed the thoughts in the back of his head and decided to give the delicate flower to that certain person…

And the flower was a beautiful hue of lavender...

* * *

The chuunin gate guards Izumo and Kotetsu were watching Team 8 wait for their sensei by the gates. The team consisted of Inuzuka Kiba, Aburame Shino, and Hyuuga Hinata. Despite their improvement in skill, strength, and maturity, they were still the same people through and through. Kiba was still loud and arrogant, Shino was as quiet and emotionless as ever, and though Hinata matured the most, she was still the same shy, kind hearted girl she was.

Except for one thing – she was now _in love_ with Uzumaki Naruto.

As they stood there patiently, a sudden cloud of dust in the horizon caught their attention. They could make out two blurs, one just slightly taller than the other, and the shorter one seemed to be running. Curious, Hinata activated her _Byakugan_, just before she gave an audible gasp and blushed brightly.

"Naruto-kun!"

"Eh? Did you say Naruto?" Kiba asked.

She nodded, her eyes moist with a degree of happiness. _Naruto-kun is back!_

His image became clearer and clearer as Naruto got closer. He was no longer the short runt he used to be, but he got taller…_ and handsomer…_ Hinata thought.

"I'M HEEERE!"

Naruto stopped short in front of Hinata, his smile as big as ever. He was staring at Hinata, forgetting anyone else was there, _She's hot… and she's definitely got..._ he stared at her chest… _BIGGER!_

Shaking the perverted thoughts out of his head, he asked the blushing Hinata a question.

"Hey Hinata-chan, how've you been?"

"F-Fine… Welcome back Naruto-kun!"

"Yeah Naruto you knuckle –" But he interrupted Kiba and decided to cut to the chase.

"Hinata-chan, do you have a boyfriend?" If possible _he_ blushed just a shade darker than her.

"N-No–"

That was all he was waiting for before he pounced…

He kissed her on the lips causing her to give a small yelp of surprise. Naruto wrapped his arms possessively around her, just as Hinata's legs lost sensation. So, he was now supporting her entire weight, which was quite light. He was inexperienced, this was his first kiss (No, Sasuke's kiss does NOT count), but he was doing pretty well, judging from the moans he could hear from her throat.

Kiba stood shocked, watching the two of them make-out, while Shino was still unemotional, minus the small smile that was hidden under his large coat. Jiraiya watched the two of them, a smile adorning his lips.

_Good job kid, I'm proud of you…_

The gate guards just pretended to be hard at work, but none could deny the sly smiles and quick glances they were giving to Naruto and Hinata. They couldn't help but agree – after _that_ kiss, they would be a couple.

Naruto pulled back, "_Ne_, Hinata-chan, since you don't have one, can I be your boyfriend?"

The Toad Sannin laughed at his remark.

The girl said a hushed "yes", joy gleaming from her lavender eyes, amazingly contrasted by her red face. She then fainted, fantasies flitting in her mind.

Naruto caught her before she fell, and gently laid her under the shade. He then tucked the lavender flower sweetly behind Hinata's ear.

Yep, the number one hyper and unexpected ninja was back…

And he's had a change of heart.

FINI

* * *

Hope you enjoyed it!

Facing Fear


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